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Overview

The quality of water, whether used for drinking, domestic purposes, food production or recreational purposes has an important impact on health. Water of poor quality can cause disease outbreaks and it can contribute to background rates of disease manifesting themselves on different time scales. Initiatives to manage the safety of water do not only support public health, but often promote socioeconomic development and well-being as well. This document sets out the strategy adopted by WHO to manage water quality with a view to protecting and promoting human health.